Awakening
by Lord Malachite
Summary: The Weekenders. Tino/Tish. Chapter 9 now up! Conclusion of the first arc, story continues in Awakening: Second Stage!
1. Awakening

"Awakening"

A fanfiction for "The Weekenders"

  
Friday/Early Saturday  
  
  
It's interesting how things can just, well, click. Did you ever have one of those moments of clarity, when everything seemed just right? Like for one brief moment in time, the universe makes perfect and total sense. That's what this was like. I think. Either that, or I have GOT to start paying closer attention to the food Mom puts in front of me.  
  
So here I am, on a Friday night. You're probably wondering where the guys are. And why I'm sitting on my front porch. It's 2AM, and although I couldn't be more psyched about the rest of this weekend, I can't find my way to sleep. It's kind of a weird feeling, when you're calm as can be but your mind is racing a mile a minute. Let me try to explain. We've just got to rewind a little over five hours here….Whoa, hold on, waitaminute. You've got to shut your eyes first. I don't want to spoil the best part. Alright, here we go….  
  
  
Friday  
  
  
Here's where it all began, about 2 blocks away from Tish's house. I remember it distinctly because Lor was making fun of Carver's "Saturday is gonna rock dance." For the record, I think that Lor has the best moves when it comes to dancing, but what do I know? My biggest goal when dancing is to not look completely stupid.

  
  
We were about to go our separate ways when Carver mentioned something about having to turn in an English paper on Monday. I was a little disappointed in him for not having done it already; nothing stops the weekend! Well, nothing short of a good grounding, or maybe influenza. Lor chimed in that she had completely forgotten about it. There was no way any of us were going to miss this outer space exhibit at the museum tomorrow. This isn't just any exhibit, it has a fully interactive shuttle simulation, plus they had teamed up with Foods of the World to distribute astronaut food. Y'know, I've always wanted to eat soup out of a toothpaste tube. Anywho, I knew two best buds who were going to spend a long night in their rooms writing out a two page paper on the Middle Ages. Man, it's a good thing it wasn't a book report, or this weekend could've been in serious jeopardy! So off they scrambled. I was glad it was late at night, otherwise they might've asked us for help. I'd waded through that paper with my mother last night, and let me tell you, there is NO way I was going back. Uh-uh. As Carver and Lor ran off in blazing trails to salvage their weekend, Tish gave me that knowing look. I had to admit, I felt a little smug about getting my paper done on Thursday, but no doubt Tish had done it on Monday evening, the same day we had gotten the assignment. I'd like to say I did the same, but I guess I'm just not quite that enthusiastic. Mondays aren't a productive part of the work week. Besides, the important thing is, my weekend was free. I did my best to return the look, but deep inside I knew I probably looked like a total dork. My suspicions were confirmed when she started giggling and had to cover her mouth to save a little of my dignity.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Tish relented, trying to contain her fit of laughter by clearing her throat.   
  
"Yeah, yeah." I laughed it off. I knew Tish didn't really mean anything by it.  
  
"I'm impressed you thought ahead, Tino."  
  
"Hey now, nothing stops the weekend, right Tish?"  
  
"You said it. It makes me wonder, though."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You know, about who we are. I mean, none of us are 'cool,' I guess. But I think Carver and Lor are higher up on the cool scale than me."  
  
"Ah, Tish, you and I are pretty uncool in some ways, but that's who we are. Everyone has to be themselves. We're all cool with each other, that's what matters. And that's how we know that Carver and Lor are real friends. They don't hang with us because we're cool or uncool, they do it because they like who we are. And because we buy them the occasional Chug-A-Freeze."  
  
"You know, there's something to that."  
  
"Of course there is! Even with me! You're the brain in our group, Tish, there's no denying that. Some of the things you're into make the rest of us want to fall asleep or hurl our pizza." Tish looked hurt at this comment, but I quickly recovered so before she felt I was trying to put her down. "But the same can be said for any of us. We're all different. And we've never wanted to stop hanging out with you, have we? No, because we're friends."  
  
"I guess I just sometimes have this fear of being left behind. You're not always going to want the brainy, foreign, vegan girl hanging around you."  
  
"I'd never leave you behind, Tish. Friends stick together." It was then that she did it. She looked at me with this…grr, I still can't really explain it. It drives me crazy. But there was something about the way she looked at me that made me feel totally powerless. It was like…if she had asked me to run to the top of Mount Everest for her at that moment, I would've. Nothing in the world mattered but her happiness. Don't ask me why, it doesn't make any sense. She kept that…that look on her face when she hugged me. Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't like this big romantic thing, it was. . .kind of like how you would hug your sister, I guess. If she wasn't related to you. Kind of. To be honest, I thought it was pretty scary. I'd never really hugged anyone outside of my family before. Besides, we're just not the type of people to go around hugging each other. I was completely taken by surprise. I don't remember saying anything, but I  know that some noise must've come out of my throat, because Tish started giggling again.  
  
"You're going to squeal for me again?" she laughed in delight. Yeah, that was pretty embarrassing, I guess. But hey, you would feel embarrassed too, don't deny it! I don't buy your act for a second people!  
  
Okay, this is the part where I did something either really cool or really lame, I haven't decided yet. You be the judge. Just, don't be too harsh, please? "Tish?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Take off your glasses."  
  
"My…glasses? Why?"  
  
"No reason." I chuckled feebly.  
  
"But I'll be blind without them!"  
  
"Do you trust me?"  
  
"It's not that, it's just. . ."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Why is it so important to you?"  
  
"I'll tell you after you take them off."  
  
She sighed. "Alright, I trust you." Slowly she unhooked her right arm from me,  bringing her right hand up to her face and easing her glasses off. She folded the arms of her frames, and I carefully took them from her. "Okay. Now remind me why I'm doing this."   
  
If you tell anyone about what I said next, I'll deny it. Or at least plead the Fifth. On second thought, you go ahead and tell whoever you want. No one will believe you, because I don't believe it myself! "You have really pretty eyes, Tish. I always thought you did, I just wanted to be sure." I swallowed. Hard. Okay, okay, I admit it, it was a full-fledged gulp. She hesitated a little, then. I can't say as I blame her. I caught myself just as off-guard as she must've felt. It felt a lot like being blasted with a Monday morning pop quiz after a weekend of non-stop relaxing and fun.  
  
"Th-thanks, Tino. You don't have to say that, though. . ." 

  
"No, it's alright. I meant it." She blushed. I did too. I don't think I've ever made a girl blush before. Oh yeah, great, now she was embarrassed, and that made me feel nervous and self-conscious. Way to be a good friend! 

I think it was then that I realized she hadn't released our hug. I felt like I should say something else, to reassure her, but I didn't know what. I was twisting in the wind. It was an awkward moment that took longer in coming than Christmas, but finally Tish rescued me from the silence by holding me a little tighter. . .and a little closer.  
  
I don't know if anyone can understand what this was like. A felt another large gulp slide down my throat, and suddenly I felt the biggest pang of guilt ever. Like I had robbed an old widow of her bingo money. "I'm. . .sorry. I don't mean to-"  
  
"Don't be." She interrupted me. She looked at me again, that same kind of look, only now there was a slight sadness to it, and I was afraid I'd just done the stupidest thing of my entire life. I was seized with the fear that she would either cry, or. . .I don't know what else. She shivered a little, and I awkwardly tried to steady her. All I really accomplished was a shivering fit of my own. "So. . .are you going to. . .?"  
  
There was this huge part of my mind which was screaming to pretend I had no idea what she was talking about, but there was no denying that we both knew exactly what she meant. A million thoughts passed through my mind in those seconds. I felt guilty beyond belief,  frightened, excited, curious. "Well I. . .I don't know. . .I mean. . ." She kept her eyes on me the whole time, and even without her glasses, I knew she could see me clear as day. "Is that. . .um-"  
  
"Shhh." She whispered. I felt her hand slip over mine. "It's okay." I looked down at this new connection she had made, and never have I felt so unsure of myself. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. What was I letting happen here, anyway? Was it something that has always been going on, something that had finally been given a voice?  "It's okay." She breathed.  
  
She wasn't Tish anymore. Or rather, she wasn't JUST Tish. There was something else. I'd never thought of her as anything but my good friend before, but it was like all of a sudden, it mattered that she was a girl. I thought for a moment that I was going to cry. I don't understand why, I'm just glad I held it in. In the back of my head, I heard Mom say something about finishing what I started, and I felt ashamed. I wouldn't run away. I couldn't, I'd come too far, and I owed her something. I pushed Mom out of my mind and looked into Tish's eyes again, and I wasn't afraid anymore. I held her as close as I could then, and despite a constant voice in my head telling me I was a fool, she reciprocated. I could feel her hair brush against my arms, and I felt an uncontrollable sigh escape me. She smiled at me. "You're a twisted little crueller, aren't you?" she whispered as she twirled and end of my hair around her finger. Whatever happens to all of us in the years to come, I think it's only fair to say that I don't think I've ever cared for another person more than I cared for Tish in that moment. I felt soft whispers of her breath on my face, catching the scent of the pizza we had snagged a few hours earlier (sans pepperoni). I don't care what anyone else says, I'll never turn my nose up at the scent of green peppers and onions ever again! I guess there's just no other way to say it. I kissed her then. No, that's not right. We kissed. And it was. . .well, neither of us had any complaints. It's not something you can explain to someone unless they have a common frame of reference. I was a little surprised, I admit it. It wasn't like anything you read in those stupid romance novels half the girls in our grade carry around with them in school. There were no fireworks, we didn't get crazy, we just stood there, holding onto each other. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't perfect. We were both pretty nervous. Sometimes there were these little hesitant stops, or breaks for air, but everytime my mind would just begin to come out of the haze, we were kissing again. It was. . .well, it was nice. How else can I describe it? 

I don't know how long it was we stood there on the sidewalk like that. That's one thing those books do have right, you can lose all sense of time. I remember when she gently pulled away from me. We were still holding onto each other, tighter than ever. She whispered something about needing to get home before getting grounded. I slid her glasses into her left hand. She slowly pulled herself out of our hug and put her glasses back on; I felt like I had lost something when she wasn't holding me anymore, but then I remembered that there would be other times. Addiction? There's no addiction here!    
  
"Seeya tomorrow?" I fumbled for something to say.  
  
"Uh-huh. See you tomorrow, Tino. Good night." She started to walk away, but she turned once to look at me. I smiled at her. "Later days, Tish." She smiled at me then, and I knew that everything was going to be alright.  
  
  
Friday/Early Saturday  
  
  
So, that's what happened. Pretty strange, isn't it. That's why I'm so wound up. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow when I see Tish. But I think I'm going to follow her lead. I'm not in a big hurry. But if she wants to hold hands next time we go to the movie, or on the shuttle simulator, I like to think  she won't have to ask twice. 

  
You know what, it's funny how things work out. I never intended for any of this to happen. I set out to reassure Tish that I would always be her friend, but now I realize that she ended up reassuring me. Oh, sure, mock my tweenage angst, why don't you?! There's a small part of me that thinks she might've given me a little push back there, but I'm not going to ask her. Besides, I don't think she'd tell me anyway.

Well, that about covers things! Yeah, I know, there's more to this weekend, but you're just going to have to wait and see what happens. Later days!  
  
  
  
I hope that everyone ends up happy with this. I tried to do my best. I like to think it's good, but what do I know? For those who aren't much into the Tino/Tish thing, I'll be doing a Tino/Lor one in the immediate future. I've got no favorites. But this was a lot of fun to write, so I hope that some of you have as much fun reading it.  
  
Lord Malachite  
ranger_writer@yahoo.com  
Asukaphile26 (AIM)  
5/2/03  
4:42 PM, EST


	2. Arose

"Awakenings" Chapter 2

"Arose"

Saturday

Like most Saturdays, this one found Tino Tonitini at the breakfast table around 8:30 AM. With a ratio of five schooldays to only two and a third weekend days, he had to get in early start if he was going to cram in as much weekend as possible. 

"Rough night?" his mother asked as she slid a bowl of. . .something in front of her son. "You look a little bleary-eyed."

"Something like that." Tino responded. "Hey, is this curds and whey?"

"If I told you, you probably wouldn't eat it."

"Are you positive this stuff is safe?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"It's best not to dwell on such minutia. So, I hear you're going to the museum today."

"Interactive outer space? I wouldn't miss it for the world! Plus they've got Astronaut food! Soup in a tube, mom. It doesn't get any better than this."

"Let me know if you still feel the same in five years."

"Count on it." Tino shoveled the contents of the bowl into his mouth in as few bites as humanly possible. The less he concentrated on his mother's concoctions, the better. I'm gonna snag some cartoons before I go out."

11 AM found Tino on the couch, he had dozed off somewhere around 9:30,visions of Chug-A-Freezes were now dancing in his head. Somewhere between lime and grape, he felt a soft handing brushing across his hair rapidly. "Mom?" Tino inquired as his eyes slowly opened.

"Do I really look that old?" Tish recoiled, running her hands over her face and feeling for wrinkles.

"Tish? What are you doing here?"

"Well, we're all going to the museum soon, I think. I was going to go check up on Carver but I wanted to see you first."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I've got something for you. Tino looked down to see a circular object in Tish's right hand. It resembled a Christmas wreath, complete with leaves, but no bells. It looked as though there were scraps of paper on it, as well as fabric and splotches of paint. "Stand up."

Tino yawned as he rose to his feet, and Tish took a step backwards. She then bent down and placed the wreath at Tino's feet. "Um, Tish? Scaring me here. You're not trying to get me to join a cult or anything, are you?"

"No silly!" she laughed. "It's a tradition of my people. When a girl wishes to declare she seeks a personal relationship with a boy, it's custom to make a wreath that represents her, and to lay it at the boy's feet. I took a redundant copy of Hamlet I've got and put some of the pages on here. I also cut up and old dress I grew out of, and the paint is supposed to represent my artistic side."

Tino didn't know what to say. "Um. . .that's. . .very nice Tish. I'm. . .sorry, I just don't know what to say or do. No one's ever done anything like this for me before."

"The boy then decides whether or not to accept the girl's companionship. He accepts by picking up the wreath." She smiled.

"And if he says no?"

Tish did her best to retain her composure, but she still looked and felt deeply hurt. He rejects it by looking up into the sky, away from it."

Tino hesitated for only a moment before quickly bending over to pick up the wreath. "I accept."

Elated, Tish threw her arms around Tino. "Thank you Tino! Oh mom will be so happy! Wait until I tell her we're getting married!"

"Wh-what?!" Tino felt his blood run cold. "You never said anything about getting married!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that?"

"I'll say you forgot to mention it! I. . .I. . . . . . . .I…………………." Tino felt woozy all of a sudden. He began to fall. Tish tried to steady him, but within seconds, he was half-sprawled across the couch, unconscious.

Tino awoke to the sound of laughter. He opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them with the palms of his hands. What had happened? He shifted his weight to the side and quickly fell unceremoniously onto his backside. Oh, right the couch. Something had happened. "Mom?" Tino called. Abruptly the laughing stopped. "Hey, Mom, where are you."

"Kitchen." A familiar voice responded.

Tino lifted himself off the floor, smoothed his shirt, and followed the source of his mother's voice. He found her sitting at the kitchen table, across from a familiar red-headed girl. Both were drinking something hot, and wearing mischievous grins on their faces.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Tino asked. "And why do you two look so. . .creepy?"

"Oh, hi Tino. 12:40" His mother said. "Tish here was just telling me the good news. I'm happy for you."

"Good. . .news?" Tino was confused. What news could Tish have for his mom? He wrestled with his brain, and slowly it began to cough up foggy images. . .Tish presenting him with something, his taking it. . .something about getting married."

"Ahhhh!" Tino screamed. "Now I remember! You can't be serious! You actually told her! This is madness!" Tish covered her mouth with her hand to suppress a flurry of chuckles.

"Oh, I can think of worse things that could befall you." Mom suggested.

"Mom! I'm too young to be married!" Tish couldn't help it. She exploded with laughter. "What? What's so funny? This isn't a laughing matter!"

"Yes it is!" Tish managed between laughs. "I made the whole thing up!"

"Huh?"

"You know, the wreath. The 'custom of my people.' All phony!" she giggled.

"Then, why did you-"

Tish sighed. "I just wanted a way to ask you out without coming right out and saying it. This was easier, in a roundabout sort of way. 

"So we're not getting married?"

"Well, maybe someday, if we really want to, but I was thinking of something slightly less permanent than that at this point. I figured that by making you think we were getting married, the idea of us dating would suddenly seem like a much lesser step than it really is. Well, your Mom thought it was clever, anyway." 

"Oh, good, because I was afraid to say no."

"You fainted."

"I'll, uh, have to remember that trick."

"I don't recommend it." Tino's mother added. "You know, Tino, have you ever thought about how much easier things would be on you if you would just tell me important things like this? You know I knew about your little. . .adventure. . .last night."

"How could you have?"

"There's no secret you can keep from me. It's a superpower given to us mothers."

"Any other advice, oh great and powerful mother?"

"Yes. Pay for her share of the pizza."

"That sounds fair." Tish grinned.

"C'mon." Tino said. "Let's get out of here before Mom ropes me into putting you through college."

"Well. . .I guess I could just go the scholarship route."

"Good."

"Bye Miss Tonitini."

"Goodbye Tish. See you later, Tino."

"Yeah. Seeya!"

Tino and Tish walked slowly in the direction of Lor's house, keeping rather quiet for the first block. "So. . ." Tish ventured, "Were you planning on telling Carver and Lor about, you know."

"I don't think we should tell them yet. Unless you look forward to hearing Carver and Lor make little kissing sounds and catcalls every ten seconds, that is."

"Mmm. Good point. Alright, we'll keep it our secret for now."

Lor was lying on the grass on her front lawn, tossing a soccer ball into the air when she finally saw two of her friends walking up. "Geez where have you guys been all this time? We're gonna miss the exhibit at this rate." Lor called anxiously.

"Oh, Tino just had a little fainting spell, that's all." Tish smiled, determined not to laugh. 

"Dude, you fainted?! That is so…lame!" Lor laughed, jumping up and running to the others.

"Can we talk about something else?" Tino groaned, slapping his forehead with his wrist. 

"So did he just like fall over?" Lor pressed.

"Something like that." Tish revealed. 

"And so concludes the 'I'm so embarrassed I could die' portion of my afternoon, ladies. Now if we could just move on to the 'picking up Carver and going to the museum' part, it'll be a rewarding day."

"I'll tell you about it later." Tish grinned. "Is Carver still at his house?"

"He's probably still working on that paper." Lor suggested, drop kicking her soccer ball into the garage for emphasis. "Should we call him?"

"You really think he hasn't finished yet?" Tino inquired.

"Who knows. I got mine done."

"Was it a long night?" Tish asked.

"I thought it would be at first, but once the thought of being trapped here all Saturday with my brothers came into play, my fingers were flying like I was in some kind of writing marathon. I got two and a half full pages in!"

"Whoa, Lor, you really went the extra distance!" Tino was duly impressed.

"Yeah, well, when I get in the zone, I'm unstoppable. Now let's go get Carver before the Space Age catches up to us!"

Continued Next Time….

I'm certainly having a bit of fun with this, and writing this new chapter gave me some good ideas for my Tino/Lor fic, so it looks like everybody wins, to me. I'll be back soon with another installment, I hope. Keep your peppers peeled.

Lord Malachite

5/6/03

4:07 PM, EST

E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26


	3. Blink

"Awakening" Chapter 3  
  
  
"Blink"  
  
Saturday  
  
  
Tino felt a rush of relief once he was standing at the edge of Carver's driveway. He was terrified that at any moment, his secret would slip out, and that would be Lor's cue to tease him about it until he reached some middle ages of his own. Years of careful observance at school taught him that it usually wasn't a good idea to let two girls inspire together. Women had this way of merging into a kind of collective if left to their own devices. Fortunately, Tish would be keeping the secret well-guarded, she didn't want to be teased either. Besides, he already did enough stupid things to make it easy for Lor to poke fun at him. No reason to make things any easier!  
  
The three of them walked up to the front door, and Tino knocked. The sound of muffled, running footsteps approached, and after a few moments, the door opened to reveal Carver. He looked at his friends in awe, as though he was about to drop to floor and proclaim himself unworthy. "Uh, Carv? You okay?" Tino inquired.  
  
"Oh thank goodness you're here! I need a break from this paper!" exclaimed Carver.  
  
"You still haven't finished it?" Lor chastised. "What's wrong with you?! You're gonna mess up the whole weekend!"  
  
"Relax, it's cool, I can finish it tonight. I've got one page done already."  
  
"It took you sixteen hours to get one page done?" Tish cocked an eyebrow. "Carver, I know you're not a brain, but you've never had this kind of problem before."  
  
"Don't bother, Tish." Tino said accusingly. "I can smell it on him. He stayed up last night playing video games. And this morning, he slept in, and then watched cartoons. You've only been working on that paper for half an hour, haven't you Carver?"  
  
"All right, all right! You got me, okay? It's not like a didn't try to work on it more. It's just so boring!"  
  
"Well, I do wish the paper had been on the Renaissance and not the Middle Ages." Tish conceded. "The Elizabethan Era is much more exciting. Plus it would've given me a chance to try on a farthingale."  
  
"A farting what?" Lor asked.  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"Look, I swear, when you guys pick me up tomorrow, it'll be ancient history, okay?" Carver pleaded.  
  
"Eh, good enough for me." Lor said non-chalantly. "In the meantime, let's hit the exhibit. By now the line will be so long we'll be lucky to get in before they close."  
  
"Yeah, why did you guys take so long to get here, anyway?"  
  
Lor dug her eyes into Tino. "Tish said something about Tino having a fainting spell."  
  
"A fainting spell?"  
  
"Geez are you ever going to let it go, Lor?" Tino pleaded.  
  
"Not until I hear the full story." Lor smiled devilishly.  
  
"Out of the question." Tino replied.  
  
"Fine, keep your secrets. Just remember, sooner or later, I'm going to find out, and I won't forget that you made me do things the hard way."  
  
"Sure, Lor. Can we go now?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Way to go, Tino!" Lor shouted. It's 5 o'clock and we're just now getting into the exhibit! All we have is an hour! Your little fainting spell cost us a whole afternoon waiting in line!"  
  
"Stop it Lor! It wasn't Tino's fault! He didn't choose to faint, he just did!" Tish insisted.  
  
"Yeah, settle down girl!" Carver emphasized. "You know how much this exhibit meant to Tino. He wouldn't deliberately mess it up."  
  
Lor growled something in response but backed off of Tino. "You know what waiting in long lines with no reward does to me."  
  
"Let's just get some of that astronaut food before it's all gone." Tino suggested.   
  
The walk (a jog when no security guards were in sight) was rather uneventful. Traffic around the Foods of the World booth was minimal, it was getting too close to dinner for many visitors. As their group approached, the familiar oratory of the booth's overseer began. "Look," Tino pleaded. "We're kind of in a hurry here. Do you think that, just this one time, you can skip the speech and give us some soup in a tube? Please?"  
  
"We're all out of soup in a tube. All we've got left is this peanut butter in a tube."  
  
"Peanut butter in a tube?" Tino hesitantly took the proffered container, stared at it, then passed it to Carver, who passed it to Lor.   
  
"Fine, if you won't try it, I will." Lor declared. "She quickly unscrewed the cap, tossed it aside, and squeezed some of the substance onto her finger. "Hey, this is kind of good. I wonder if they have chunky style…"  
  
"Wouldn't the nuts get stuck?" Tish wondered, taking the tube from Lor and coating her index finger. "Hey, you're right Lor. It is good."  
  
"Give me that!" Tino said in frustration, seizing the tube and repeating the now-familiar process. Tino sighed. "It just isn't the same. I was too psyched up for the soup."  
  
"I wonder how this stuff would go on French Fries?" Carver mused as he helped himself to the peanut butter."  
  
"Dare we find out?" Lor asked.  
  
"Hey, there's still plenty left."   
  
"Um, weren't we going to go on the shuttle simulator?" Tish asked, taking the peanut butter tub from Carver before he used it all.  
  
"We'd better move it if we're gonna get there on time." Lor called.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Whew. Made it with just a minute to spare, guys. This is the last call." Carver wheezed a sigh of relief.  
  
"We've got to move!" Tino cried. Each shuttle only has two seats, and they only have two shuttles.  
  
"Relax, we're golden." Tish beamed. "Just trust me." She disappeared into the crowd ahead of them.  
  
"What do you suppose she's up to?" Carver asked.  
  
"I dunno." Replied Lor. "I could've muscled us up to the front anyway." Lor flexed her arm for emphasis, putting on her most ferocious look.  
  
"Am I the only one who gets genuinely afraid of her when she does that?"  
  
"I'm usually a little scared of Lor when she's normal." Tino laughed. "But I wouldn't have her any other way."  
  
"I'm not aggressive!" Lor snapped, punching Tino in the shoulder. "Dad just says I'm assertive."  
  
"Yeah, aggressively assertive." Tino mumbled, rubbing his sore shoulder.   
  
"Man, you must have a death wish." Carver wondered.  
  
"I'd watch it if I were you." Warned Lor. There was something downright frightening about the way she was looking at him.  
  
"Yes ma'am!"  
  
"That's more like it." Her reverie was interrupted by a blur of purple and pink running towards them.   
  
"Here! Tish called! We're all set!"  
  
"Wha?" Tino asked.  
  
"I got us a spot a the front of the line. Come on, we have to hurry!" The rest of the gang ran after her to the front, still in disbelief. "Thanks guys. Here's your payment, as promised. Tish thrust the peanut butter tube at one of the boys whom she was "buying" a spot from, and it quickly became a pileup of bodies as four fifth graders began wrestling each other for control of the almighty tube. Lor took the initiative and pushed the squabbling kids out of her way, securing their space.   
  
"How did you do that?" asked Carver.  
  
"Supply and demand." Tish replied. "I took our one asset and looked for someone who would want it bad enough to give us what we want."  
  
"Tish, you're amazing!" Lor beamed.  
  
"I don't know if I'd go that far." Smiled Tish. "Oh! I almost forgot. Here Tino, this is for you."  
  
Tino looked on in wonder as Tish opened the palm of her left hand to reveal a still sealed tube of soup. "How did you ever-?"  
  
"You seriously underestimated the value of that peanut butter, that's all. They gave this to me as a down payment, until I returned with their drug of choice."  
  
"I don't believe it!" Tino exclaimed as he approached Shuttle B with his friends. He felt ecstatic. This day was really turning around.   
  
"I'll drive!" Carver yelled.  
  
"Shotgun!" Lor called milliseconds later, as they both squeezed into the front seat. Tino was so happy about getting his soup he wouldn't have minded being strapped to the roof. He slipped into the back seat and slid all the way in, leaving room for the fourth.  
  
"Carver, are you sure you're qualified to operate an interplanetary shuttle?" Tish asked.   
  
"Hey, on the Space Pilots 3 space-flight sim, I'm rated as a Top Ace pilot."  
  
"Good enough for me." Lor supported. They all strapped themselves in.  
  
"I still can't believe you were able to get me the soup." Tino whispered to Tish. "You didn't really get it as a down payment, did you?"  
  
Tish sighed. "If you must know, I bought it off them for you." Tish whispered back.  
  
"You didn't have to do that."  
  
"No, but I knew how important it was to you." Tish threw him a sideways smile. "And I had the extra money. Pizza's on you tonight."  
  
"Thanks Tish."  
  
"You're welcome." She momentarily rested her head on his shoulder before remembering her place and quickly straightening up.  
  
"So!" Tino covered before the others could notice. "How fast do you think this bad boy does zero to 60?"  
  
Tino's answer came in the form of a brilliant flash of light emanating from the screen at the front of the cabin. He saw the sky rushing up to meet him, the clouds, and seconds later, the starry heavens.  
  
"That was incredible!" Lor yelled as the shuttle straightened out and slipped into its programmed flight path. "I wonder what it's like when we land?"  
  
"Ugh." Tish groaned. "I hope my stomach will still be there when we get back, because I know I left it behind."  
  
"You want me to swing this thing around so we can go back and get it?" asked Carver.  
  
"No thank you!" Tish said adamantly. "I don't think I can take two of those too close to each other."  
  
"Wow. It's…incredible." Tino admired the view, pinpricks of light all around them, and Earth slowly growing smaller in the background as they accelerated away.   
  
"Amazing" Lor added.  
  
"Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?" Tish ventured.   
  
"Guys, the next time I'm feeling really bummed out or upset, remind me of this, okay?" Carver said as he stared wide-eyed at the universe's beauty.  
  
The next two minutes were absolute silence, each of the four taking in the depth that the stars offered them. Truly, there was nothing more beautiful. The peace dissipated instantly, though, when their shuttle took a sharp turn and began closing on the asteroid belt. Carver looked down at the control board and saw a serious of instructions for navigating their craft through an asteroid field. "Hey!" Lor yelled. "This console just lit up like a Christmas tree, but I don't know what much of it means.   
  
Tish tried to lean forward and look at Lor's display. "Looks like a radar to me. We're at the center."  
  
"So what do these red and white dots mean?"  
  
"Hmmm. I think they both represent asteroids. The white ones seem to be farther away, so they shouldn't be a problem. So I think it's safe to assume the red ones are in our flight path."   
  
"Oh man!" Carver felt frustrated as he finished reading the directions. "This crate doesn't have any weapons."  
  
"But we can steer." Tino looked at the bright side.  
  
"Haven't we seen this in a video game before?" observed Tish.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't think you get a continue if you put two more tokens in."  
  
"Here they come!" Lor pointed at the screen as an asteroid the size of a swimming pool appeared on the screen. Closer, closer, closer… "Carver! You have to DO something!" Lor yelled.  
  
"I'm trying, I'm trying! Give me a minute!" the boy insisted.  
  
"We don't have a minute! Bank!"  
  
"If he does that without knowing where we're going, we're likely going to end up smashing into another asteroid." Tish explained as she leaned back and to the side, hoping to ease her stomach.  
  
"Plus I have to compensate for the maneuver. Hang on…got it!" They all watched in fear and fascination as the screen swerved to the left, then began slowly rotating. The offending asteroid slipped harmlessly by, and the shuttle seemed to dip down, then up, before leveling of.  
  
"Carver, you are the man!" Tino yelled.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Carver smirked.  
  
"We're not out of the woods yet!" Tish pointed at Lor's display and brought them back to virtual reality.   
  
Carver rubbed his hands together and gripped the controls harder. "Everyone, hold on to your peanut butter!" Tish gulped.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
  
  
  
I had a really great time writing this, so I sure hope my readers had a similar experience. I'll continue it soon…real soon!  
  
Lord Malachite  
  
5/8/03  
  
4:52 PM, EST  
  
E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com  
  
AIM: Asukaphile26


	4. Yawn

Tino had to steady Tish as they climbed out of the shuttle simulator. Twice she thought for sure she was going to lose her peanut butter, but a strong desire to keep herself together eventually won out. A few minutes later, Tish was sitting on the wall outside, slowly sipping on a cola Tino had bought her from the refreshment stand.

Carver half-leaned on the wall, trying to look cool without going for the total immersion appearance of Colby and Bree. Lor sat a bit to the side of Tish, looking bored. 

"Tish, I never knew you had such a weak stomach." Carver commented.

"Maybe it was the peanut butter." Tish replied weakly.

Lor mused, "Does this mean we're not getting pizza?"

"Perish the thought!" Carver sounded horrified.

Tish sipped at her soda again. "No, I'll be all right guys. Just give me some time. It's only six, I'll be fine in an hour or two."

"So what am I supposed to do for the next two hours?" asked Lor. "Wrestle Tino and Carver?"

"Stay back!" shouted Tino, cowering behind Carver.

"I was only kidding, guys." Lor said with an edge of frustration in her voice. "There's no challenge in it anyway."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Carver challenged.

"Whoa, whoa. Guys, let's not fight. If Tish is sick and then you guys need bandaging, that makes me the official nurse!"

"The official nurse?" Lor asked. "What are your qualifications?"

"Um, well, I got Tish that soda!"

Carver laughed. "Oh yeah. You are the king of prescriptions."

"Hey Tish, think you can handle a movie?" Lor inquired.

"Whoa, settle down there! We've missed all the matinees."

"So?"

"So that means it costs more!"

Tino interrupted. "Carver does have a point. Well, why don't we go see if there's anything worth paying full price for. If not, there's always Funville."

"Sounds like a plan." Lor's enthusiastic response brought a smile to Tino's face. "Movie or Funville, then pizza. Um. . .do you need some help there, Tish?" 

"My stomach is upset. I'm not helpless!" Tish admonished, then slowly scooted off the wall and fell into step with her friends. Well, slightly behind and a tad slower than normal.

"Okay," Carver emphasized, "This is where I draw the line. There is no way I'm paying for THIS." He held his arms out towards the marquee of the theater, gesturing grandly to it. 

"Flower Patch." Lor commented. "Even the title makes me want to lose my lunch."

"I wish you hadn't said that." Tish cupped a hand over her mouth as a thankfully brief wave of nausea washed over her. 

Tino took one look at the giant letters over the theater's entrance. "Pass! If we're even seen near here, the damage to our middle school reputations could be irreversible!"

"Funville it is, then." Suggested Carver.

"Hey Tish, is this fresh air doing you any good?" asked Lor.

"I think the soda is doing it's job. Or at least, it will be, if you don't keep making me nauseous." The redhead offered.

"Huh?"

"Let's just keep moving." Tino said, rescuing Lor from her confusion. "The pool table awaits."

"I'm not going to be at my best tonight." Tish reminded them.

"In that case, Carver's on MY team tonight."

"Hey, this means I might actually know what it feels like to win a game!" grinned Carver.

"Oh, you are so on, Carver!" Tino jumped up at the thought. "Handicapped Tish or not, I'll bet we still beat you two."

"Is that a challenge, Tino?" Lor asked. 

"A challenge? I prefer to think of it as a massacre! We are gonna bury you!"

"Why does everyone keep talking about me like I'm not even here?" asked Tish. "I'm a person, not a weapon!"

"It's your brain that's the weapon, Tish. You're always able to see beyond the table and into those. . .those things you said you use to figure where to hit the ball."

"Reflections?"

"Yeah, that's it!"

"You could learn to do it to, you know. It's not that hard."

"Eh, sounds like too much work to me." Lor responded. "It's much easier to just have you on my team."

"Then why did you just trade me for Carver?"

"You said you aren't at your best! I don't want someone on my team who can't give 120%!"

"Thanks so much for your confidence! I get a stomach ache and all of a sudden I'm like week-old leftovers!"

Tino cut in. "Relax, Tish, I still have faith in you."

"Hey, for the record, I never said she was off her game!" Carver added.

"Yeah, but you sure abandoned my team real quick!" Tino charged.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Now you two are gonna get it! Let's hose them down, Lor."

"My pleasure." Lor grinned devilishly. 

Twenty minutes later, the four of them stood around a pool table, looking very much like generals going into battle. 

"All right," asked Carver, "Who breaks?"

"Flip for it?" Tino ventured.

"Sounds fair. Any objections, ladies?" Both girls shook their heads. "Good. Lor, you call it." Carver flipped the coin into the air.

"Heads!" shouted Lor.

A moment later, Carver caught the quarter and laid it on his forearm, still covering it with his hand. Slowly he withdrew the cover. "Tails." He said dejectedly.

"I guess that means we're up." Tino smiled smugly.

"You have to break." Lor pointed at Tino.

"What? Me? But I'm no good at it! I want Tish to break!"

Lor shook her head. "You won the toss, but we get to decide which of you goes first."

"It is tradition." Carver grinned as he began racking the balls.

"Give us a sec." Tino stalled, turning to Tish. "Tish, I need your advice."

"I can't help you very much, Tino. Try going in fast and from the left, it's the side I favor. The rest is a combination of skill and luck."

"I'm going to need your help to win this."

"Well, I'm feeling a bit better now. Thanks for the soda, Tino. That was very thoughtful of you."

Tino beamed. "Well, I, uh...hey, anything for a friend in need, right?!"

"Right." Tish smiled back, risking a wink before turning back towards the table. "Good luck, Tino."

Tino shakily stepped toward the table, furiously chalking his cue stick. Lor flashed him an impish grin from the other end of the table as she rolled the cue ball to him. Tino reached out for the ball, caught it, and began searching for the best place to line it up. Taking Tish's advice, he set it left of the center, just far enough ahead that he could get some decent force behind it. Satisfied with the positioning, Tino turned back to Tish, who smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Now or never, Tino." He whispered to himself, drawing the stick back. Tino then thrust it forward, sending the ball hurtling into the triangle. Tino watched in awe as the white sphere struck to the left, sending two-thirds of the triangle in different directions. He nearly danced a jig when the number three ball sank into a side pocket. "Ha!" Tino shouted. "Did you see that, did you? In your face, Lor! The first kill is ours!"

"So what do you want, a medal?" Lor smirked. "Let's see you do it again, hot shot!" Energized, Tino lined up his second shot, but alas, history did not repeat itself. "Better luck next time, Tino."

Tino sighed as he stepped away from the table, making room for Lor. "Ah well, at least we started ahead."

"You did great!" smiled Tish. "You've got nothing to feel down about. Don't worry, as soon as I'm up, I'll open things up for you."

Lor rejoiced as she sunk two striped balls in a row, settling on leaving Tish behind the eight ball when no good shots presented themselves. "Let's see you work your way out of that, Tish!" she sang.

"With pleasure." Tish approached the table very purposefully. Tino watched from behind as she threw her head back, her hair flipping and settling back down as though it were a red cape. 

"Whoa." Was all the boy could say in response. Tish delicately chalked her cue, then deftly approached the cue ball, not hesitating for a second as she set sent it ricocheting off several different sides of the table before it knocked the seven ball into a side pocket. Unphased, Tish smiled as she proceeded to take her next shot, sending the four ball to its resting place. She practically danced over to her next shot, firing almost right away and finishing off the two ball. She stopped to scan the table carefully, the number five ball was hanging on a corner pocket, but she didn't want to do this all by herself. Tino needed to feel like he played a part in their victory. Thinking quietly to herself, she merely tapped the cue ball this time, sending it behind the number six. Now it would be a lot harder for Carver to make his easiest shot without helping his opponents out tremendously.

"Man, I thought you said you weren't feeling well, Tish!" Carver said in shock as he looked at the table, now decidedly going in Tino and Tish's favor. 

"I'm feeling better." Was all that Tish said in reply. 

Lor squeezed a cube of chalk in her hand. "Ok, Carver, I'm counting on you. We're not letting them take us without a fight!"

"Relax." Carver reassured his teammate. "I got this." He took the initiative, approaching the cue ball and very carefully lining up his shot. Very carefully, drawing back on the stick four times before finally committing to a shot, he let the ball fly. The number six ball parted easily to the side, despite Tish's planning, while the cue ball banked left and sent Carver's target, the twelve ball, right into a side pocket. "I know, I'm good." He smiled.

"I'll say." Tino commented, mouth hanging open.

"I'm impressed." Tish admitted. "That was most impressive, Carver. Have you been practicing?"

"Oh, I might've shot a game or two with my dad this week. He's been trying to spend more time with me."

"Well it's paying off, dude!" Lor jumped into the air. "That was incredible! I'm so glad you're on my team!"

The game came down to a battle over the eight ball. Carver had missed, and it was now Tino's turn to sink the winning shot. He suddenly felt nervous, like this shot meant a lot more than just a silly game, which was ridiculous. Nevertheless, the uneasiness was still clinging to the put in his stomach. Tish had given him all the advice she could; aim straight and true, don't put too much spin or speed on it, a scratch could ruin everything. Tino approached the cue ball and prepared to make his shot, sighting up the eight ball, which was lying to the left of the far corner pocket. He could make this shot. It wasn't overly difficult, somewhat of a straight line. But there was a lot of distance to cover, and a lot of things that could go wrong over that distance. If he missed, Lor would be up, and he had no dount that Lor would be able to sink the ball with the table so completely open. There would be nothing to stop her. 

Carefully, Tino drew back on the cue, holding his breath as he prepared to send the ball toward its target. Hoping against hope that he would get it right, he finally trusted to fate and destiny and completed his last shot. The ball began to travel towards the feared eight ball, bane of many a player since the game had first begun. Everyone watched in fascination as the cue ball traveled farther down the table, so far appearing on target. Tish practically bore a hole in the eight ball with her eyes, perhaps willing it to sink with her mind. In the end, whether it was Tino's skill, Tish's mental power, or just dumb luck, the ball sank. Tino jumped up on a chair and began hooting with delight. "We won! We won! I can't believe it! Tish, did you see that?! I got it in! I GOT IT IN!"

"I told you you could do it." Tish smiled at him.

"Nicely played, Tino." Carver shook his hand. "That was just an all-around beautiful shot."

"Yeah," Lor consented. "Maybe you just can't fight fate. It was a good game, Tino."

"Thanks guys." Tino smiled. "I appreciate it. But I couldn't have done it without Tish."

"No." Tish smiled. "We did it together. It's called teamwork."

"Does this mean we all have to hug each other?" asked Lor. "It's getting a little sappy in here!"

"Sorry. Hey, you know what sounds good right about now? Pizza!"

"Oh yeah, I'm in!" Lor sounded enthused. "I was hoping you would feel better soon. But from the way you two just played. . ."

"I'm fine."

"Better than fine." said Carver. "That was 120% if I ever saw it, Tish.

"Thanks guys."

"All right," Tino drew everyone in, "Let's go get ourselves some pizza. I could REALLY use a night away from Mom's cooking!" 

Ah, another chapter done, folks. This one took a little while to get out, but I feel that it was worth it. My current goal is to have another one up on Friday. Yeah, I'm an ambitious guy. Thanks for reading! A shout out to K-chan, Kaon, and Calty for making the writing so rewarding. It always warms my heart to get such wonderful reviews.

Lord Malachite

Ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26

5/15/03

5:48 PM, EST


	5. Roll Over

Awakening

Chapter 5

"Roll Over"

"Darling, those tired eyes

Go with me all the time.

And in the dead of night

Tell me you will be mine. 

Where do you go to, pretty baby?

Where do you go to, when the night wins away?

Ask me so sweetly, what do I do?

Who do I sing for?

Well honey, I sing about you.........

You......................."

--Coldplay

"i bloom blaum"

Tish silently pondered how, in the seven layers of hell, their favorite pizza hangout in Bahia Bay managed to stay in business with the constant renovations every week. She came to the conclusion that the proprietor of the establishment must be certifiably insane. Recalling some of the different, "unique" experiences she'd been subjected to in the restaurant, she felt certain that this must be the case. But this theme took the cake. Communist Pizza.

"When you serve one, it is a small joy. When you serve ten million, you go through a LOT of pepperoni!" The server said, laying the disc of starch in front of his four regular customers. Pieces of pepperoni were arranged in the shape of a hammer and sickle.

"Don't you think this is a tab bit un-American?" Tish asked.

"News flash, pizza is Italian." Carver added.

"While I do concede your point," Tish began calmly, "perhaps you may have noticed that WE'RE BEING SERVED BY JOSEF STALIN!!!!!"

"Who?" asked Lor.

"Stalin! Former leader of the Soviet Union? He used to execute people on whims?" Tish growled in frustration. "HE'S ONE OF HISTORY'S GREATEST MONSTERS!"

"Hmm, perhaps it is a bit much." The owner sighed. "It's not easy to come up with a gimmick, you know." He hung his head. 

"That's better."

"Or perhaps you are merely capitalist spies!" The owner snarled! "they are enemies of the people! Confess, or you shall be tortured with grated cheese!"

"Oh forget it!" Tish groaned, swiping the only piece she could find without pepperoni and ripping into it. 

An uncomfortable silence followed until Tino finally found something to say. "So Carve, you're going to finish that paper tonight, right? I mean, c'mon, even Lor finished hers."

"Yeah, I'm good." Lor said through a mouthful of pizza. 

"Alright alright, geez!" Carver huffed. "I'll do it, okay?"

"Hey, we just don't want you ruining the last day of the weekend, man." Tino relented. "It's important!"

"What are we doing tomorrow anyway?"

"I don't know. Hit the beach?"

"Tesla Park?" asked Lor.

"The mall?" Tish offered.

"Well, it looks like we're not going to resolve this deadlock anytime soon." Tino mused.

Carver leaned back in his chair. "It doesn't matter. I'll get it done. Tonight. Cool?"

"Cool." Three voices responded in unison.

Lor grew restless. "Okay, what's next? We don't have much left of today, it's getting late." 

Tish perked up. "In the summertime, they'll probably put plays on in the park again. That will always give us something to do."

"Hey Tish," asked Carver, "Are all that Shakespeare dude's plays about cool stuff like treachery and fights and backstabs and battles and stuff?"

"Not all, but if you're into violence, most of his tragedies would suit you."

"Which one is the violentist?" Lor suddenly seemed very interested.

"Most violent, and that would be Titus Andronicus."

"Cool!" shouted Carver "You think they'll put it on?"

"Not too likely. It's. . .not for the faint of heart. It's not one of my favorites, either. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that there will always be something going on!"

"Too bad summer's still a few months away." Tino sighed.

"It is long in coming, isn't it?" Carver added.

Tino changed the subject before things got downright depressing. "Wanna just hang back at my house?"

"Your mom isn't going to try to feed us, is she?" Lor demanded.

"I don't think she cooked tonight."

"Good. Then I can safely ask her about your little fainting spell!"

Tino threw his hands into the air "Are you still harping about that!"

"Yeah I want to know to." Carver said. "You've done some freaky things before, Tino, but to actually just faint? And I thought Tish had a weak stomach!"

"Hey!" Tish piped up. 

"Dude, it's so true." Lor laughed. 

"Are they making fun of us?" asked Tino

"Do you have to ask?" Tish replied.

"Oh alright." Lor relented. "We're sorry."

"Sorry you two are so fragile." Snickered Carver.

Tino lounged across two chairs on the terrace, the cooler night air feeling downright good. Lor sat against a wall, thumbing through a stray comic book she had found on the table, shocked to see that it wasn't Captain Dreadnought. Carver adopted Pose #3, "I'm too cool to care," as he leaned against the wall next to Lor. Tish straddled one of the remaining chairs, alternating looks between the three of them before getting bored and lifting her gaze to the stars above, searching for the constellations she knew would be there. 

The lethargy of the evening was interrupted only by Mrs. Tonitini, who entered through the door, holding a box in her hands. "Ordinarily I don't serve something with so many...I can't even make out most of the ingredients in this stuff! Here, Choco-Bonkies. Tino, don't say I never let you be a kid."

"Oh yes!" Carver quickly took the proffered box and began snacking. "Mrs. Tonitini, you are the queen!"

"I try." She smiled.

Lor took the box from Carver. "So, can you tell us what the big secret is about Tino fainting this morning? I've been trying to get him to tell us all day!"

Tino's mother smiled. "Oh, that. It's kind of an interesting story, really."

Lor and Carver never took their eyes of Tino's mom. Tino winced, and Tish covered her face and shook her head. "So what happened?" asked Carver.

Mrs. Tonitini smiled. "The breakfast I made didn't sit too well with him, it seems." After he finished it, he said he was going to go lie down on the couch. On the way into the living room, he just keeled right over."

"That's it?" Lor sounded disappointed.

"That's it." 

"Geez, Tino, that's what you wouldn't tell us? Pretty lame!"

Tino gasped for air, feeling unable to believe that his mother hadn't just revealed a secret that would be an endless source of teasing until he was through middle school, maybe even longer! "Well, I, uh. . .I didn't want to insult Mom's cooking! She works hard on that. . .stuff she serves, you know?"

"Thanks, Tino." Mrs. Tonitini smiled. "It's nice to be appreciated. I'll just be downstairs if anyone needs me."

As soon as she left, Lor punched Tino in the arm. "I can't believe you would make me fret all day over such a lame secret!"

"Maybe I just like intrigue?" Tino shrugged.

"Maybe you're just a dork!"

"Maybe we should call it a day." Carver suggested, grabbing the box of Choco-Bonkies from Lor, polishing off another handful, and tossing the box to Tino. Tino took three handfuls, then passed to Tish. " I guess I could go home and finish up that paper." Carver surrendered to the inevitable. 

"That's the spirit!" encouraged Tish.

Tino began organizing. "Okay, so we meet tomorrow over at Carver's house, 10 o'clock. Good?" 

"Cool." Lor crunched another mouthful of her snack. 

"I'll be ready." Carver reassured them.

"I can be there." Tish smiled.

"Great. Work hard, Carver." Said Tino

"Yeah, I will." He said. "Hey, you'd better not stay up half the night reading old issues of Captain Dreadnought."

"I do nothing of the sort!"

"Yeah, whatever." He laughed. 

Tino's guests began making their way downstairs and out the front door, when Tish caught sight of Tino's mom and stopped in her tracks. "Um, I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow. I need to talk to Tino's mom about something."  
  


"Like what? The Beatles?" asked Lor.

"No! It's about, um. . .ochre! Yeah!" Carver and Lor just stared at her. "It's something you use in cooking. Nothing you'd be interested in!"

"Uh-huh. Okay, Tish, you just, uh, have yourself a good time. You and Tino's mom and ogre." She rolled her eyes.

"Ochre!"

"Whatever." Lor practically pushed Carver out the door before her brain exploded. "Dude, what the heck is that ogre stuff she was talking about?"

"Lor, we're talking about Tish, here. And she wants to ask Tino's mom about something to do with cooking? Tish vegetarian, Tino's mom health nut. Whatever it is, it might spawn some new type of dish that is a crime against all humanity! If either of them try to serve it, we may be forced to defend ourselves! Hmmm....suddenly I'm in the mood for chili cheese fries....."

"Thank you so much for not telling!" Tish cried, running up to Mrs. Tonitini and wrapping her arms around the older woman.

Tino's mother sighed. "Why is it that no one seems to remember that I was young once too?"

"I can't think you enough. We can't."

"Just try to remember that you won't be able to keep it from the others forever."

"Forever, no, but hopefully sometime as close to then as possible. I'm just afraid they'd freak out or something."

"They'll be able to handle it." Mrs. Tonitini reassured. "Why don't you two just wait until you've gotten comfortable with your relationship, and then tell them. Once you adjust to the change it won't mean as much to you."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. It's somewhere in my Big Book of Stuff Mom's Need To Know. Now, why don't you go say goodnight to Tino. He should be in his room."

"Okay. Thanks Mrs. Tonitini!"

"Anytime."

Tish rushed upstairs, then began knocking on Tino's door. "Tino it's me! Open up!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tino said, grabbing Tish by the shoulders and trying to settle her down. "You look like you just won the lottery."

"Not quite." She smiled, becoming self-conscious and smoothing out her outfit. "I just had to thank your mom for not giving us away."

"Sometimes my mom can be pretty cool." Tino smiled. 

"She told me to come up here to say goodnight...." Tish trailed off as she saw what was in Tino's hands. "You kept it?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be a nice reminder. I'm going to hang it over my bed tomorrow morning. Y'know, so I wake up to it. I know, I know, it was just a gag, but I think it's pretty cool."

Tish beamed. "You are so sweet! Oh, I wish I didn't have to go! I'll come by tomorrow morning before we go to Carver's, okay?"

Tino put an arm behind his back, feeling sheepish. "Uh, sure. Yeah, that would be great." Tish looked puzzled. "Sorry, I'm. . .still new at this. Heh heh. . .heh......"

"It's okay." she grinned, wrapping the boy in a quick hug and kissing him on the cheek. Tino couldn't help but remember that it was those exact words that had changed their relationship to begin with. "I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow!" 

"You know where to find me!" Tino managed, blushing slightly. As Tish darted down the stairs, giving one last wave, Tino retreated into his room and flopped onto the bed, turning Tish's wreath over in his hands. He smiled at it, before finally lying it on his nightstand and deciding to get changed for the night. He couldn't help but feel a growing pit of anticipation in his stomach for the morning to come.

"Darling, those tired eyes

Go with me all the time.

And in the dead of night

Tell me you will be mine. 

Where do you go to, pretty baby?

Where do you go to, when the night wins away?

Ask me so sweetly, what do I do?

Who do I sing for?

Well honey, I sing about you.........

You......................."

--Coldplay

"i bloom blaum"

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading. Kaon, I hope that last bit was sweet enough for you. ^_^ As always, more to come!

Lord Malachite

E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26

5/16/03

5:16 PM, EST

Saturday


	6. Stretch

Awakening 

Chapter Six 

"Stretch" 

Sunday 

For reasons unknown to Tino, there didn't seem to be anyone else at the mall. Not a soul. Unfortunately, all the stores seemed to be closed. Sitting at a table in the food court, Tino wondered where everyone had gotten to. For that matter, what was he doing here? Slowly, Tino got to his feet, looking out at the openness of the food court. His eyes scanned the room, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him as a familiar figure appeared before them. 

"Lor! Hey, Lor! What gives? Where is everyone?"

Lor looked at Tino, a smirk appearing on her face as she stepped towards them. "Well, well, well. This is a surprise." She spoke.

"It is?"

"Never thought I'd find you here."

"At the mall? I'm no stranger to the mall, Lor." But Tino wasn't in the mall anymore. He was standing on a floor made of shiny wood, painted lines running across it. Lor bounced a basketball about, absently shooting at one of the hoops. A quiet _swish _sound quickly followed, then the ball bounced to the floor, where Lor quickly took possession once again. Tino looked down and felt uneasy when he saw that he was now wearing a jersey. "Lor, what's going on?!"

Lor dribbled towards Tino, stopping short of him and catching the ball in her hands. "I'm not Lor, Tino."

"What?"

"Maybe it's easier to say, I am her, but I'm much more than that."

"Okay, I'm officially confused."

"It's best to think of me as everything else you're giving up."

"What am I giving up?"

"Don't play games with me, Tino. I know what you two did. You're breaking a lot of rules, playing around with that girl like you haven't a care in the world. It's dangerous!" she emphasized, slamming the basketball to the ground. It bounced past Tino and continued moving towards a set of bleachers.

"What games?! I haven't done anything. I found something I like in her, we spend time together. What's the big deal? You act as though I've shut you out of my life in lieu of her, Lor!"

"Oh please! Just look at yourself. Trying to justify something you know to be a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"Don't try to deny it! The very guilt you felt when you kissed her betrays you!"

Tino's expression darkened. "What do you know about it!" Tino yelled, wincing at his own emotion. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "You're right. You aren't Lor. Who are you?!"

"Who I am isn't important. You think about what will happen. If you stay with Tish, she will slowly become a bigger and bigger priority. She will take precedence over your friends."

Tino sighed. "Being a little melodramatic, aren't we? Besides, you would think my friends would appreciate that. That's what makes them friends! And wouldn't it be easier if the person I care about is one of those friends, rather than some outsider they can't relate to?! No, you're no friend of mine, whatever you are. And you have no right to look like Lor!"

"Don't I?" The girl asked, reaching out to Tino, setting her hands on his shoulders. "You seem so sure of yourself. But what if it had all been just random chance, a matter of being in the right place at the right time? There are so many possibilities in life, Tino." Lor sighed, stepping closer, stretching her arms up to wrap them around Tino's neck. "So tell me, was this how she held you? How you wanted it to be? When she kissed you, did you think of me?" Lor brushed her lips against Tino's, trying to draw him in. "Did you ever wonder," Lor whispered, "about the other side of the coin?"

"Lor. . ." Tino trailed off, half-pulling his friend into a kiss. As he did so, Tino's eyes went wide. He raised the palms of his hands and pushed Lor away from him. "No!" He panted, out of breath. "Stop it! Just stop it! It isn't like that at all! I don't know, okay? I don't know why what happened between Tish and I happened. It just…seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I like being with her, and she likes being with me! There's nothing complicated about it! 

"Then what makes her any better than me?"

"It's not a question of being better. It's a question of what is." Tino felt a completely strange wave of comfort wash over him. "None of this is real."

A flash of red seemed to pass through Lor's eyes. "Very good, Tino."

"Who are you?"

"Me? Everyone knows me, Tino, but some much more intimately than others. I live in the bellies of the weak and the weary. In those who aren't strong enough to resist. Inside the ones who revel in despair."

"Beat it!" Tino yelled.

"Tino! Tino! Wake up!" A voice called.

"Beat it!" Tino yelled, his arms thrashing.

"What?" 

Tino opened his eyes and saw a girl standing over him, looking as though she were searching for something to say. "Tish?"

"Your mom said it would be okay for me to come in and wake you up. But if you really don't want me here, I'll leave."

"No, no. It's fine. I'm sorry. I was having this creepy dream." Tino yawned, rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes.

"What happened? Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I think I'm okay. I just dreamt that. . .someone was trying to sell me something."

"Well, I'm glad you're all right."

"Yeah, it takes more than a salesman to scare Tino Tonitini!" Tino stood up and gathered together an outfit for the day. 

"This from a boy who sleeps with a Captain Dreadnought comic under his pillow!" Tish laughed, making Tino's bed.

"Hey! It works! No nightmares can get by Captain Dreadnought! Ugh, I'm going to go clean up. I'll see you in 15 minutes, okay?"

"Don't take too long, your mom and I are working on a surprise for you downstairs!"

"I won't!"

Tino finished brushing his teeth, then readied his shower. Putting up a towel, he stripped down and stepped into the refreshing hot water. "Oh, hey. Tino here." He said as he grabbed a washcloth. "Don't mind me, you just wait out there and we'll get caught up. That was some really weird dream, huh? I haven't had a dream that freaky since that time I ate a whole bowl of fish eyes! Now I know what you're thinking. You're afraid the ol' T-Man is going to lose it, juggling school, thrill-packed weekends, and a now a personal relationship with Tish. Don't worry, I can handle it. Sure, there will be a few rocks in the road, but that's what life is all about, right? Besides, don't forget I've got the mystical, magical advice of Mom to back me up. Yeah, I think things are looking up. Now, if we can just figure out how to spend this Sunday, I might be able to put this weekend down in my record books as one of the best ever. You don't happen to have any ideas, do you?"

Downstairs, Mrs. Tonitini finished setting the table while Tish carefully brought a large bowl in from the kitchen and set it in the middle of the table. "Do you really think he's going to like this?" Tish asked, feeling a bit unsure.

"If he knows what's good for him." The older woman smiled. "But probably not. Doesn't matter, he's eating it anyway."

"It isn't fish eyes, is it?" asked Tino, coming down the stairs wearing his blue shirt.

"No." Tish called. "It's a recipe I sometimes make for myself, with a few of your mom's own modifications."

Tino decided to stare fear in the eye and see what he would be faced with. "So what is it?"

"Honeydew, cantaloupe, and grapefruit." I cut up some pieces of each and put them in a bowl.

Tino breathed a sigh of relief. "That sounds good." He walked over to the table to inspect it, but something else caught his eye. "What's the brown stuff?"

"Protein." His mother answered curtly.

"Made from what?"

"Various things."

"Like?"

"You know, starving people in Ethiopia would be happy to have that, Tino." 

"Yeah. They'd also be happy to have an Egg McMuffin."

"Just eat it, Tino."

"Okay, okay. It's obvious you two went to a lot of trouble. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Tish beamed.

"Um, I'm not the only one eating, am I?"

"We'll be right in." Mrs. Tonitini responded. "Just getting a carafe of orange juice."

A few moments later, the three of them were settled around the dining room table, calmly enjoying breakfast. The mysterious grain-like substance the fruit was sitting in still baffled Tino, but he had decided it was probably better not knowing what he was eating. His imagination could conjure up enough as it was!

"This is nice." Tish sighed. "We should do this more often."

"Oh, I think it can be arranged." Tino's mother smiled. "It's nice having you. And also refreshing to find someone who likes to eat healthy, at least some of the time. Tino fusses so much over what I put in front of him."

"If you had to live here on a daily basis, Tish, you would too." Tino injected before Tish could comment. "So....what's with the breakfast thing? I mean, it's nice, I'm not complaining. It's just. . .I know you, Mom. Your too.....Mom-like. You've got an angle, I know it!"

Mrs. Tonitini gasped light-heartedly. "Why Tino, I'm shocked. Shocked! Oh, all right. If you must know, there's something I wanted to talk to you both about. I realize you're getting older now, so I guess it's time I explained it to you."

"What's that?" Tish mused, quietly spooning occasional mouthfuls of fruit and...stuff into her mouth.

"The key to having a successful relationship with someone else. And try to bear in mind I'm not just talking about you two. This is on every level friends, significant others, spouse...you'll get it."

I don't mean to sound fresh, Mom, but you and dad split up."

"Yes, and I'll explain why that happened if you give me a chance. The key to keeping a relationship intact is to keep it in its ideal. Let's take you two as an example. I know you're young and not overly involved, and that's good. You're in your ideal, at least, for this point in your lives. There's a balance you have to keep. Take care of each other, respect each other, that sort of thing. I'm starting to sound like some marriage seminar here." Mrs. Tonitini sighed, then continued. "Simply put, when you can both sit back and just honestly say you're happy spending time together, you're in your ideal."

"I think I can say that about all my friends." Tish smiled. "Not just Tino."

"Good. Just remember that life will throw all sorts of ridiculous curve balls at you. It has no mercy. It's when you lose sight of your ideal that things fall apart."

Tino nodded solemnly. "Is that what happened to you and Dad?"

"In the case of your father and I, Tino, our ideal turned into an ordeal."

"What happened then?"

"We both looked for a new deal."

"Clever." Tish chimed in.

"Thank you."

"Still, I'm surprised you're able to talk about it so non-chalantly."

"Tino tells me that you're the scholar. I'm sure you're aware of the philosophy 'time heals all wounds...if you let it, and choose not to dwell on opening them up again.' Life is an adventure, after all."

"You know, I think that's a very worthy philosophy." Tish heartily agreed.

"Behold, Tish, The Tao of Mom." Tino bowed his head toward his mother in awe.

"It's nothing special. Anyway, you two had better finish up if you're going to be on time to meet Lor and Carver."

"She also makes an excellent PDA." Quipped Tino.

Ten minutes later, Tino and Tish slowly walked down the sidewalk, heading towards Carver's house. As was so frequent in Bahia Bay, the warm sun provided a friendly atmosphere. Tino almost felt as though he could spend the rest of the day lounging in a tree. Almost.

"Hey Tino?" Tish asked, walking slowly beside him. "What do you think? About what your Mom said."

"About ideals?"

"Yeah. Are we in our ideal?"

"If you're asking if I'm happy spending time with you, Tish, the answer is yes. It was sweet of you to wake me up this morning."

"You look funny when you sleep." She laughed.

"How?"

"Well, it seemed like you had a pretty rough night. You were half in and out of your covers, and everything was twisted and wrinkled."

"Actually, I slept pretty well. What about you?"

"Oh I slept great! Before I went to bed last night, I was reading this book about New York politics in the mid 1800's! It was really exciting! That's the trouble with history, most teachers confuse their opinions with the facts. If you want to track down the really interesting stuff, you have to look for yourself."

Tino smiled. Tish was like a black hole of knowledge, and always thirsty for more. He admired her that, even envied it at times, but it could also intimidate him. "I'm sorry I'm not easier to talk to sometimes. You're a lot more cultured and knowledgeable than I am, Tish."

"So what?" She asked, which stopped Tino in his tracks.

"So what?! It's a sacrifice for you, isn't it?"

"Why would you think that? Carver and Lor aren't into it either, I don't care. It's my hobby."

"But I should be able to be more supportive if we're going to date."

Tish laughed. "Tino, you're really silly sometimes, do you know that? Listen, why do you think I would want to date someone exactly like myself? I've got a mirror already, thank you, I don't need another one of those. Listen. Would you ever try to stop me from learning?"

Tino blinked. "Huh? No! Why would I want to do that?!"

"Exactly! So there's no problem!" Tish smiled. "Just try to remember that I like being with you Tino. I'm not looking for things to change." She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were happy."

"Don't worry. If I ever am, I'll tell you, okay? I like to think that.....you know, you and me..."

"Us?"

Tish blushed at the thought of that. Were they officially an "us?" "Yeah. Us. It's not that complicated. So I think if we just take it slow, we'll be just fine."

Tino felt relieved. "Thanks Tish."

"Don't mention it." She smiled again, slipping a hand over his. "So tell me, what do you think we should do today?"

"Well, we did come down on Carver pretty hard about his paper. Maybe we should let him pick. If he finished, that is!"

"Only one way to find out." 

"Hey, what time is it?"

"9:40. We've still got twenty minutes."

"Want to take the long way to Carver's?" proposed Tino.

"I thought you'd never ask." 

Another chapter finished. This one is probably the most unique of them all so far. Tino's dream sequence took a decidedly more dramatic turn than I envisioned in the pre-production of this installment, but this is what ended up coming out. Do try to remember that that wasn't the real Lor, but I think we all know she doesn't talk like that at all!

I wanted to center this chapter a bit more on Tino and Tish since I do list it as a romance over at Fanfiction.net, but I'm going to get back to having fun as Sunday truly opens up. I like to think that this came out pretty cute and sweet without getting downright sappy. I also tried to keep it within the context of they're still being twelve. Here's hoping I succeeded. If anyone asked me to sum up the context of Tino and Tish's relationship with one phrase, I'd say "Chug-A-Freezes and polite conversation." That's the effect I've been going for so far.

Thanks to Kaon and Blaster Bob for their consistent reviews, they are very much appreciated. Stick it out till the end with me, guys, I'll do my hardest to make each chapter worth it. 

Lord Malachite

5/19/03

11:08 PM, EST

E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26


	7. Feet On The Floor

Awakening

Chapter Seven

"Feet On The Floor"

Sunday

"You really do know everything, don't you?" Tino asked Tish in bewilderment as they rounded a corner, approaching Carver's house. 

"Not yet." Tish grinned. "But it's my goal!"

"Remind me never to buy an encyclopedia. You've got twice the information and I can actually make sense out of most of what you say."

"Um, thanks. I think."

"I don't think that came out quite how I meant." Tino sighed.

"Don't worry about it. Buy you a Chug-A-Freeze later?"

"I'd like that." The two of them turned into Carver's driveway to see Lor standing at the door, pacing back and forth. "Eeek!" Tino squealed, taken back to the unsavory dream he had the night before. 

"What's wrong?" Tish asked, puzzled by Tino's yelp.

"N-nothing. It's nothing. I just, uh…that protein stuff Mom made this morning repeated on me, that's all."

"Yuck!"

"You don't know the half of it!" Tino stuck his tongue out for effect.

Lor's ears pricked up at the noise. "Where have you two been? You're like ten minutes late?"

"Oh, ummmm…." Tino reached deep inside himself to come up with a plausible excuse. "Breakfast got off to a late start this morning. You see, my mom cooked up this strange stuff, and we had to wait for Tish, because Mom promised she could come."

"Why?" Lor asked. "No offense, Tino, but eating at your house is like cruel and unusual punishment.

Tish covered seamlessly. "It was about the ochre I was asking about last night."

"Again with that ogre stuff?"

"Ochre!" Tish yelled, trying to enunciate it for Lor. 

"I still don't get it."

"Where's Carver?" Tino wisely changed the subject before Tish began to hyperventilate with frustration.

"Still inside. When I rang the bell before, he said he'd only be a minute. That was like, five minutes ago."

"Don't tell me he's still writing his paper!" Tino whined. 

"I don't know, but if he doesn't open this door soon, I say we leave him." As if on cue, the front door opened, and Carver appeared. "Sorry guys, just had to put the finishing touches on my paper. It's all set now." He stepped outside and Began putting on his shoes.

"Whoa!" Lor's eyes went wide. "Are those the new Addidas? Those would be great in a soccer game! Let me see!"

"Back off, vixen!" Carver quickly slipped his shoes on before Lor could snatch one. "I've seen what you can do to a soccer shoe!"

"Dude, I wasn't going to actually wear them!"

"That's right you weren't! Buy your own pair!"

"Okay," Tino tried to take charge. "We've all discussed it, and we felt it would only be fair if we let you pick what we're doing today, Carver, since we were nagging you about that paper."

Lor grimaced. "Um, hello? I don't remember being told about this!"

"You weren't? Oh, right! You weren't. It was at breakfast when Mom, Tish, and I were talking."

"So what? I remind you of your Mom or something?" asked Lor.

"No! Look, forget that part, okay? What do you think, Lor? Is it okay if Carver decides?"

Lor scowled, then turned to Carver. "The first time you try to take us to a shoe sale or exhibit, you're eating those Addidas!"

"All right. Well, I suggested the beach yesterday, but I don't know if I want to now. You kind of have to be in the mood for that."

"Yeah, and I don't really want to go back home and get a swimsuit. What else?" Lor pressed.

"I don't know. Maybe we should just go to the mall or something."

"Hey!" Tino smiled. "We could go back to Funville and Tish and I could give you two a rematch."

"No way!" Lor exclaimed. "Tish is back on my team now."

"Aw c'mon Lor!" Tino argued. "For once in my life, I felt what it was like to win!"

"And I hope you remember it forever." Lor smiled, ruffling Tino's hair. "Because you're not going to experience it again."

"Think we can take them?" Carver asked Tino.

"Not on your life!" Tino sighed. "And you really need to be in the mood to lose a game of pool to the Lor/Tish dream team." The two girls high-fived each other, driving Tino's point home.

"So what, then? I'm running out of ideas, Tino."

"Yeah, so were we. That's why we let you decide."

"We could go volunteer." Tish offered. Lor looked at her as if she had just grown a third head and begun speaking in Klingon. "Or not."

"Wait!" Carver leaped up. "I've got an idea. Quick, somebody blindfold Lor."

"Already I don't like where this is going." Lor recoiled.

"Sorry, but you're too good a shot. We can't let you see anything or it could influence your decision."

"See what?"

"You'll see."

"You're talking about blindfolding me!"

Carver ran inside, returning a moment later with a roll of tape, a piece of paper, a bandanna, a dart, and a magic marker. "Okay, here's how it goes. We each suggest something to do for the day, then we write them down on this paper. We put them in a circle cut evenly four ways, and Lor throws a dart at it. Whichever one it lands on, we do. Tish, you make the circle, you've got the steadiest hands and penmanship."

"Why do I have to be blindfolded?" Lor asked.

"So you don't know what you're aiming at." Carver explained. "We don't want any influence going into this."

"Okay, but let's hurry before your parents think we're playing some weird kind of prison game or something."

"Circle's ready." Called Tish.

"Man, Tish, how did you do that?" Tino wondered. Indeed, Tish's circle was flawless cut into four equal pieces, all done without even a ruler to guide her.

"Years of practice." Tish smiled. "Okay, guess we should write the choices in. I'm going with the mall." Tish began writing down her suggestion in one of the spaces while carver tied the bandanna over Lor's eyes. "What about you, Tino?"

"Funville." 

Tish wrote in Tino's choice as Carver finished his work on Lor and stepped back to admire his masterpiece. "Yeah." Carver grinned. "Definitely an improvement."

"Shut up!" Lor snapped at him.

"Lor, you're up." Tish called.

"Tesla Park." 

"And I'm going with roller skating." Carver added. 

Tish quickly wrote in the last two choices. "Okay, so where do we hang this?" the girl asked.

"There's a fence out back." Carver suggested, moving towards the backyard. Tish quickly followed, while Tino took Lor by the arm and began guiding her.

"Watch the sprinkler head!" Tino shouted, "grabbing hold of Lor as she began to trip.

"I'm going to hurt him." Lor mused darkly as Tino steadied her.

"Hey, relax, smooth walking from here on out."

"Easy for you to say." The girl mumbled as Tino continued to guide her to the fence.

"Okay." Carver smiled as Tish held the paper up to the fence and Carver began taping it. "Now we're in business." Both of them stepped away. Carver took the dart and placed it in Lor's hand. Tino turned Lor so that she was aiming directly for the paper. "All right, Lor, choose our destiny."

"Isn't destiny a strong word for something so innocuous as our Sunday?" Tish asked.

"Whatever." Lor sighed, drawing her arm back. In one swing, she let the dart go at high speed.  The shaft flew straight and true, easily finding its mark. Tino couldn't help but feel a new respect for every time Lor had said "I can do this blindfolded." When it was over, Tino, Carver, and Tish stood looking at the paper, mouths agape.

"So what are we doing?" Lor wanted to know.

"It's not possible!" Carver said in disbelief.

"Even for Lor." Tish whispered.

"Lor," Tino said cautiously, "did you, at some point, sell your soul to the devil in exchange for some kind of sports abilities?"

"What happened?" Lor demanded. "Come on you guys, this isn't funny?"

"Nothing." Carver said. "Cautiously approaching the dart as if it would burst into flames, he pulled it out of the exact center of Tish's circle. "Try it again. We'll tell you after."

"Fine." She huffed, snatching the dart and hurling it towards the paper again. This time, the desired result was achieved. "Happy? So what are we doing?"

"Roller skating." Tish sighed. "I'd better be sure to get a first aid kit along with my skates."

"I can go for that." Lor grinned, ripping the bandana off her face. "Now will someone tell me what was wrong with my first throw?"

"There's no way you'll believe us." Tino laughed.

"What happened?!"

Tish ripped the target off the fence and handed it to Lor. "You got it dead center!" exclaimed Tish. "Do you have any idea what the odds are? Too bad you're not old enough to buy a lottery ticket."

"Dude, this is incredible! It's like some kind of omen or something!"

"An omen of what?" Tino wondered.

"Hopefully a halfway decent grade on that Algebra test we have on Wednesday. Because divine intervention is about the only way I'm going to pass that."

"I know this probably sounds crazy," Tish put her sarcastic voice into overdrive, "but you could try, oh, studying for it!"

"Yeah. We could also spend our day waiting for Tino to sink a 3 point basket, but life is just too short, Tish."

"Hey!" Tino quipped. "I resent that!"

"Or represent it, anyway." Tish giggled. 

"Oh, sure, just pick on poor, defenseless Tino." He sighed. "So I'm helpless at sports!"

"Aw, c'mon, Tino." Carver encouraged him. "Don't beat yourself up."

"Yeah, it's no fun if you do it for us!" Lor chided.

"Okay." Tino threw up his hands. "Me down, you kicking."

"All right, ease up on him." Smirked Carver. "We've had our fun. Okay, what if we all get our skates and meet down at the boardwalk by the snack shack in half an hour?"

"I'll be there!" Tino said.

"Ditto!" Tish called.

"Count me in!" accepted Lor.

"Seeya in thirty then!" Carver waved, then ran into his house to get his gear together. The remaining three looked at each other, shrugged, and followed Carver's lead, taking off in the directions of their own homes.

Tino arrived on his front porch in less than ten minutes, he ran inside and headed for the garage, where everything he needed for skating lay in wait. "Oh, hey, Tino here. I just came back to get my things together, but you probably already know that. This should be an interesting day. I just wish that Tish had only been kidding about that first aid kit. The last time we all went skating, we practically had to carry her back home. We stopped a few houses from her and had to prop her up so her parents wouldn't know she was as trashed as she was. I mean, she wasn't seriously injured or anything, don't get me wrong. But we didn't want her mom or dad all concerned over a few mishaps. I mean, it's not Tish's fault that concrete is stronger than skin, is it? Anyway, I'm going to keep a closer eye on her today. Hopefully she's managed to get a little better since last time. Or at least developed tougher skin. Maybe I'd better bring that box of gauze Mom keeps in the medicine chest, just in case. . .better to be safe than sorry. Okay, so, um, skating trip. Yeah. This should be interesting. Listen, we have to take a break here. You come back next time and we'll see how things go, okay? I mean it! You'd better come back! I've got enough abandonment issues to begin with! Okay? Seeya soon!"

Another chapter finished. This one had kind of a "back to basics" feel, I thought. Maybe it doesn't carry quite the same weight as the sixth chapter, but too much depth would make the whole project too obtuse, I think. I'm definitely going somewhere, and I like to think that everyone will be pleased with how things turn out. As always, leave me a review folks. Special thanks to the regulars who find the time to leave feedback. 

Up to this point, this story has been written strongly under the influence of the Coldplay albums Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head, as well as "Weird Al" Yankovic's latest album, Poodle Hat. Those of you looking for a little mood setting may wish to check those discs out. I thank both groups for the oomph they give me while penning this work. 

As always, drop me e-mail or an IM if you have the chance. I always enjoy meeting new people, especially fans! Seeya next time people!

Lord Malachite

5/21/03

6:04 PM, EST

E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26


	8. Exercise

Awakening

Chapter Eight

"Exercise"

Sunday

"Whoa, okay, let's put her down on that bench."

"Watch her feet!"

"What happened to her clogs anyway?"

"Lor watch her head!"

"Hey, she may not look like much, but she isn't exactly light!"

"I heard that…."

"She's coming around!"

Tino stepped aside while Carver and Lor unceremoniously sprawled a half conscious Tish across a bench. "Hey, where have you been? You missed all the action. Okay, maybe it wasn't action, so much as it was the three of us watching in morbid fascination and horror when Tish's left foot slid the wrong way and she ended up heading down Two Mile Hill. We're a little surprised she's still alive, and in one piece. We're going to try and bandage her up as best as we can. I think Tish's first aid kit comes with everything we need. Man, I'm afraid to take off her pads. It's unbelievable. Poor girl, it's like the second she puts on a pair of skates, the pavement wants to get really intimate with her." Tino grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. "Okay, let's get the hard part over with."

"Tino, you got that stuff?" Carver asked.

"Yeah, coming!" He stepped over to the bruised body of his friend. "Oh boy, this won't be fun." Occasionally, a moan escaped Tish's mouth. Carefully, Tino reached down and lifted Tish's glasses from her face. "Carver, hold these. She's going to get real alert real fast when I do this, and the less she sees, the better. Be careful with them."

"No prob." Carver took the proffered glasses, careful not to touch the lenses. 

Tino grabbed a gauze from the box he had brought, then held it to the open bottle of peroxide. He hesitated as he removed Tish's right elbow guard. He didn't much like the sight of blood, plus he knew Tish was going to wake right up and scream bloody murder as soon as he applied the gauze. "This isn't going to be pretty. Stand back, guys." Taking a deep breath, he pressed the damp gauze to Tish's wound, trying to keep as much distance between himself and the girl as possible.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Tish screamed less than two seconds later, trying to sit bolt upright. For a moment, Carver thought that Tish's glasses would shatter. Lor clamped her hands over her ears to shut out the sound, while Tino swiped the gauze for a second pass.

"Good Lord!" Carver yelled. "I think she just hit a high C!"

"What are you doing?!!" Tish howled, yanking her arm way from Tino "What happened?"

"You fell." Lor answered.

Tino grabbed hold of Tish's arm again. "Hang on, Tish. You got scraped up pretty good. The elbow guard protected most of you on this arm, but we still have to clean these. Good thing you had that first aid kit."

"Did I pass out?" asked Tish.

"More or less."

"Man, Tish, you should've seen yourself go!" Carver leaped into the air. "You were flying."

"Um, Carver, not the time!" Lor quieted the enthusiastic boy down. 

"Aughhh that hurts so bad!" Tish's cry pierced as Tino finished cleaning her wound and began searchinf for a bandage and antibiotic crème.

"Sorry." Tino sighed. "Really, I am." 

"Not your fault…..OH NO! I can't see! Where are my glasses?!"

"Relax." Carver smiled. "I got them right here. Tino was afraid that if we didn't take them off, they would've went flying when he started cleaning you up. They could've been broken." Gladly, he handed Tish her sight.

"Yeah, and he was right too." Lor smirked. "Geez, Tish, I thought you were trying out for an opera when you started screaming. Then again, it was the dreaded peroxide."

"Yeah really, Tino, peroxide is the worst!"

"It's what was in the kit! Why do I have to be the bad guy?!" Tino cried. Lor just looked at him. Tino sighed in frustration. "Okay, I'm sorry for being such a good friend and trying to keep my friend's scrapes from becoming infected. What a jerk I am!"

Abruptly, Tish laughed at him. "Don't worry about it Tino, I'll take care of it from here."

"Ah-ah." Tino shook his head. He squeezed some crème onto a bandage and carefully covered Tish's scrape. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Um, you can do the rest, I guess. You've probably got a lot."

"Ugh." Tish responded, taking assessment of herself. "You're right. Lor, I'm uh, going to need your help."

"Why don't you girls take care of that while Carver and I bring back some Chug-A-Freezes?"

"Now that sounds like a plan!" Lor seemed happy. "Chug-A-Freezes on the boys, oh yeah."

"Woo-hoo." Carver said enthusiastically. 

"C'mon, Carver, it'll be, um, nice." Tino tugged at him.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. We'll be back!" He called as they both walked away.

"Okay." Lor laughed. "Let's get you to the girls room and see how bad the damage is."

"I think I ripped my dress."

"Maybe we'd better get you a change of clothes too, then."

"So remind me again why we're buying all the Chug-A-Freezes." Carver insisted as he and Tino stood in line at the Snack Shack.

"Um, because we feel bad about happened to Tish." Tino reasoned.

"Yeah, that I can see, but Tish probably wouldn't have started down that hill if Lor hadn't high-fived her and sent the poor girl flying in the wrong direction."

"That's true, but this is Lor we're talking about. Besides, it's not like she did it on purpose or anything."

"Nah, Lor's tough, but she's loyal to her friends. Most of the time."

"Yeah, well, I think the same can be said for all of us."

"Please don't tell me you're inferring that you're tough."

"Me? Why one look at my physique would send most challengers screaming into the night." Tino attempted to flex his left arm for emphasis.

"Yeah, with laughter."

"Oh, what do you know!" Tino scoffed.

"Order?" a voice droned.

"Huh? Oh, four Chug-A-Freezes, please."

Carver reached into his left pocket, frowned, then repeated the process with his right. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Hey T, think you could cover for me. I spent all my money on those Addidas."

"Of course. What else is new?" Tino sighed as he handed over the full amount, dimly recalling something Tish had once said about a fool and his money. "Carver, how would you eat on the weekend if Tish and I weren't around to feed you?"

"Foods of the World."

"Yeah, well what if they don't have something as appetizing as the 'Stuff Your Face a la Outer Space" theme that ran today?

"Dude, I've seen some of the things your Mom feeds you! If you could get that stuff down, I'm sure I can handle whatever they serve at that silly exhibit. If I had to, anyway."

"I guess."

"Is anyone still paying attention?"

"Nah, they'd probably rather know what's going on with Lor and Tish in the girl's room."

"So, uh, how's it going in there Tish?" Lor wondered aloud in the direction of a metal door.

"It's not so bad. My thigh is pretty scratched up, but it's not too messy. And I think I can salvage this dress."

"Padding save you?"  
  


"You know it!" Tish giggled. "Toss me some of the creme Tino was using before. I should put some on this just to be safe."

Lor rummaged through the kit, found the tube, and tossed it in a clean, overhand arc. It passed over the door of Tish's stall and dropped inside. "Incoming!"

"Ah!" Tish half-caught the creme, it bounced once in her left hand, flipped over into her right, then slid out and dropped with a splash. "Ummmm, I don't suppose you have another one of those?"

"Another one? What's wrong with that one?"

"It's, um, well, let's just say I'm not going after it."

"Geez, Tish, sometimes you can be so helpless."

"Will you just check and see if there's anything else?" Tish growled.

"Yeah, yeah, let's see.....nope, no more creme. We've still got the peroxide, though."

"Wonderful....." Tish sighed hopelessly. "Give it here."

"Your funeral!" Lor laughed. 

"Don't throw it!" Tish yelled.

"Relax, I'm just going to slide it under the door."

A moment later, the bottle in question did indeed appear under the door, and Tish took it, using a piece of toilet paper to apply the disinfectant. "Here we go again." She moaned. "Might as well get it over with...........ow!" She let out, taking a deep breath and deciding not to scream. Wincing thrice, Tish finally discarded her makeshift applicant and finished up. Straightening her dress and shirt, she stepped out of the stall to clean up. As she washed her hands, cringing a few times as the scrapes on her hands stung, she looked in the mirror. Her hair was rather disheveled on top, while at the end, it was curling in different directions instead of lying straight. "I look like I've been swimming in the River Styx." She moaned.

"What river?"

"Forget it. I knew I should have braided my hair this morning."

"You look fine. Chill out, I doubt your parents will even notice."

"I hope not."

"Come on, let's go pick up those drinks. I'm thirsty."

"You're thirsty?! I'm the one who's been through the ordeal!"

"Yeah, but it was a lot of work taking care of you." Tish opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She decided to pick her battles.

The girls emerged from the restroom to find Tino and Carver sitting on a wall across the way, slowly sipping away at their drinks. Lor quickly ran over and snatched her Chug-A-Freeze, Tish was a little slower, as she was carrying the first aid kit.

"So you're okay?" Tino asked after both girls were situated.

"Yeah, she's fine." Lor assured them. "Just a few bumps and scrapes, nothing to call the medics about. She doesn't even need a change of clothes."

"Good to hear!" encouraged Carver.

"I'm all right." Tish smiled. "More or less."

"Well," Tino began, "I guess that was kind of a bust. What should we do now?" Tino wondered as he handed Tish her skates.

"Something safer, I hope."

"Don't tell me we're back to this again." Lor groaned. "I'm not letting you guys blindfold me again!"

"We could just, y'know, go to the mall." Suggested Carver.

"I'm in!" Tish grinned.

"Sounds good to me." Tino added.

"I'm there." Replied Lor.

"Great, then it's settled." Tino felt a surge through him. "One Sunday at the mall, coming up. Or at least, half a Sunday." Tino pushed himself off the wall. "C'mon, we'd better get moving. I don't wanna get there and have everything closed!"

As the four of them began walking towards their goal, Tish slid up next to him and mumbled something softly. "The Chug-A-Freeze was supposed to be on me!"

"Extenuating circumstances." Shrugged Tino.

"Well let me get the next one, okay?"

"No prob."

"Hey," Lor started, "Is anyone else getting in the mood for chili cheese fries? I've been wanting some since last night."

"Now you're talking!" Carver shouted. "First stop, food court!"

I guess I'll stop here for today, I try to break the chapters whenever I shift gears. I felt this chapter was just...kind of weird. If I do the commentary, there's a lot of funny stuff I can talk about here. The most astute of readers will notice there's a small plot hole in this chapter. I know it's there, I could fix it, but I've decided that it just gives the story a little more character to have it's own little quirks and flaws, much like the Fab Four themselves. Okay, I'll be back soon with another installment. Don't forget to tip the server on the way out!

Lord Malachite

5/23/03

4:42 PM, EST

E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26


	9. Face The New Day

Awakening  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
"Face The New Day"  
  
  
Sunday  
  
  
The lull of the usual din that could be heard in the food court faded into the background, once again demonstrating the intricate ability of the human brain to filter out unnecessary information. Settled at a table amidst the center of the chaos, four quirky friends were huddled around three boats of chili cheese fries that were rapidly diminishing, the remains of their Chug-A-Freezes washing down the starchy snack.  
  
Carver sighed with a smile on his face, apparently lost in thought. "Earth calling Carver." Tino attempted to interrupt his friend's reverie. "This is Earth, calling Carver. Are you still with us?"  
  
"Huh?" Descartes responded, shaking his head. "Oh, sorry guys. I was just thinking about that time Lor almost won us $10,000 on Baskets for Bucks. Man, the stuff I would've bought! It would've been sweet!"  
  
Tish nodded. "Yeah, it would've been nice. But you know what? I think it's better this way. We'll appreciate things more if we earn them the hard way in life."  
  
"This from a girl who wanted to use her share to bring Shakespeare back to life." Lor laughed. "Didn't you want him to write a play about you or something?"  
  
"That's personal!" Tish blushed. "Besides, you never told us what you were going to do with the money!" Tish retorted.  
  
"She has a point." Carver took Tish's side.  
  
"That she does." Added Tino.  
  
"You know, I never really thought about it." Lor mused. "I was feeling kinda stressed at the time. I was concentrating so hard on trying to make those shots that I just couldn't think about what I'd do if we had actually won."  
  
"I still can't believe you managed to make two!" Tish smiled. "That was so cool, Lor!"  
  
"I'm just glad you guys weren't mad at me when I missed that last shot."  
  
"Nah." Tino reassured her. "Sure, the money would've been great! But we'd much rather have our friend than $10,000. And all the popularity it would bring. Being visible to people like Bree and Colby. Getting Chum Bukkit to be our own personal band..."  
  
"You can stop anytime now!"  
  
"Ah, I'm just messing with you." Tino smiled.  
  
"My hovercraft!" Carver cried.  
  
"Knock it off!" Tish insisted.  
  
Carver laughed himself. "You know what the Lor? No one is as cool as you when it comes to basketball. If we ever go two on two, I want you on my team!"  
  
"Me and you vs. Tino and Tish?" pondered Lor. "That's like Godzilla vs. Bambi! There's no sport in it!"  
  
"Your confidence in us is overwhelming." Tish laced her voice with sarcasm.  
  
"I think she's right." Tino admitted. "I don't think I could sink even one basket if a million dollars was riding on it. I think we should stick to pool."  
  
"Not that Tish and I don't beat you guys enough at that." Lor quipped.  
  
"Seriously, it's embarrassing!" Carver agreed.  
  
"Okay, okay, change of subject." Tish interrupted before anything ugly erupted. "What about the new Chum Bukkit album? It's only two weeks away!"  
  
"I've had it on reserve for over a month!" Lor felt the excitement. "I can't wait!"  
  
"Once I just stood in front of the upcoming releases board and bowed myself before it." Carver explained.  
  
"Last week I was playing along with my dulcimer while I listened to "Chicken Eat The Eggs!" Tish presented her own form of fandom.  
  
"I've got a countdown going on my wall." Tino responded. "It's like I'll be able to live again after it's out. Carver, you'd better not spend your allowance that week on shoes again, because I'm not buying it for you!"  
  
"Relax." Carver calmed Tino down. "I got it on reserve. It's already paid for. All I have to do is pick it up. I didn't want to have to deal with the rush."  
  
Lor brightened up. "Y'know, that's not a bad idea. It's too bad I'm broke, or I'd totally be with you on that."  
  
"There's still 2 weeks." Tino reminded her. "Maybe I'll reserve it while I'm here."  
  
"Now you're talking, Tino!" approved Carver. He frowned as he took the last fry from one of the boats, pushing the empty one aside and reaching for the one closest to Tish.  
  
Tish grinned and slapped at Carver's hand. "Ladies first, thank you!" She scolded, laying out a napkin and taking enough to satisfy her before letting Carver make off with the rest.  
  
"Dude, she just owned you!" Lor couldn't stop laughing. "Tish, that was hilarious."  
  
Tish shrugged, trying to keep a blush off her face. "I'm hungry!"  
  
"Seriously!" Carver shook his hand before he got back to eating. "The girl is possessive about her fries!"  
  
Tish shrugged again. "Three hands in a boat are too many."  
  
"Especially when two of them belong to Carver!" Tino couldn't let the setup pass.   
  
Even Carver laughed at that one. "Okay, okay, you guys got me. I do enjoy my chili cheese fries."  
  
"And everyone else's too." Lor snickered.  
  
"Let up on him." Tish laughed. "We got him good enough for one day."  
  
"Thank you!" Carver mock bowed his head to Tish. "So, I guess this means we're gonna hit the music store?"  
  
"Definitely!" Tino shouted. "It's like I can already feel this CD in my hands!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
As expected, the music store was full of loud music and patrons with equally loud outfits. Carver and Lor stood before the upcoming releases sign, basking in the holy glow of Chum Bukkit's name. Tino approached the front counter to pre-order the new album, but Tish put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Let me get this one." She smiled.  
  
"Huh? Tish! That's very generous of you, but really, you don't have to do that. I can cover it."  
  
"I want to get it for you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you've been doing everything so far! It's called give and take." She smiled. "Besides, you've been getting all the food this weekend. If there's one thing I'm not, it's poor."  
  
"You're sure?" Tino still felt uneasy.  
  
"Positive."  
  
Tino sighed, and then surrendered. "If it means that much to you."  
  
"I think it means more to you!" she laughed. "C'mon, walk with me. There isn't much weekend left, you know."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
While Tish ordered two copies of the new album, Lor was strategizing about how she would procure her own copy. "I'm probably going to have to wait until it comes out." Lor sighed as she worked on her plan.  
  
"That means you're going to have to battle the masses down here." Carver smiled.  
  
"I can handle them." Lor sounded confident. "The trouble will be getting here. Why do new CDs always have to come out on Tuesdays? No one will be able to take me during the week!"  
  
"Well, Tino told me last week he's trying to figure out the perfect angle to ask his Mom to take us after dinner that night. It'll be a pretty big favor to call in, though. I'm praying to the Coolness to let us get that ride. If we don't have that album the day it comes out, we could become a lot more uncool than we are now!"  
  
"You really think so? Dude, this is serious!"  
  
"You know it. We've all got to use our powers to make sure we get here that day. Whatever it takes! Call in all your favors if you have to!"  
  
"We'd all better spend next Friday night figuring out how we're gonna do this. I say we all tag-team Tino's mom!  
  
"I don't think we'll convince her that way." Tino grinned as he and Tish walked up behind their friends. "But I'm sure we'll think of something."  
  
"Bribery?" Tish offered.  
  
"Could work. Call me on the radio tonight, Carver. We'll kick around some ideas."  
  
"Cool." Carver accepted.  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Lor. "Preferably something free."  
  
"We could hit the docks, watch the sunset." Tish suggested.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me!" confirmed Tino. "Let's hurry before we miss it!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Legs dangling off the dock, the four of them sat in a row, watching the beautiful red sun as it slowly began disappearing beyond the horizon. Tino let out a long breath as he admired the sight. "Y'know," he began, "we've spent a lot of weekends together doing a lot of crazy things. And I hope it never ends."  
  
"I guess that's up to us." Tish replied.  
  
"Yeah, we really have some good times." Lor gave Tino a thumbs up. "You guys are the best friends I could ever have."  
  
"Same here." Carver added.  
  
"And here." Tish chimed in.  
  
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Tino smiled. "I just want to remember them. Someday, one or more of us may fall out of the loop, who knows what will happen as time goes on and we have more responsibilities. But no matter what, I want to be able to hold onto this moment. Someday when I'm old, I'll be happy to remember you guys, and what great friends you always were."  
  
"Whoa, dude, you're getting all emotional on us!" Lor sounded a little weirded out.  
  
"Definitely." Carver agreed.  
  
"I'm sorry." Tino held up his hands to lighten the mood. "Got caught up in the moment. All I mean is...you guys are great."  
  
"You know it!" Tish laughed, lightly punching Tino in the shoulder.  
  
"It's about time someone noticed." Carver laughed.  
  
"We are, aren't we?" Lor smiled as the sun dipped out of sight. She sighed as darkness began descending. "Well, much as I hate to do it, dinner beckons."  
  
"Another weekend gone." Sighed Carver.   
  
"But not forgotten." Tish reminded him.  
  
"Never forgotten!" Tino shook his head slowly.  
  
"Guess I'll see you guys at school." Lor smiled. "Later days!"  
  
"Later days!" the others called as they also stood up, knowing that the end of the weekend had indeed come.   
  
"I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow!" Carver decided, deciding to make his own exit.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Tish slowly began walking away. Tino lingered, looking out at the darkened bay in winder for a moment before running in Tish's direction. She breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't sure if you were coming or not for a minute there."  
  
"Sorry." Tino apologized. "Just stuff on my mind. Plus I didn't want to look suspicious."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"I can't believe you ordered me that CD."  
  
"You're easily impressed!" Tish giggled.   
  
"You know what I'm going to do the minute I get home?"  
  
"Have dinner?"  
  
Tino laughed, he hadn't expected Tish to be so literal. "No, after that."  
  
"Read Captain Dreadnought comics?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"What then?"  
  
"Hang your wreath over my bed."  
  
"You really like that silly thing, don't you?"  
  
"It reminds me of you."  
  
"No fair! Don't make me blush!"  
  
"Well it's true!"  
  
"You know what the second thing I'm going to do is?"  
  
"Dare I ask?"  
  
"Call you, if it isn't too late."  
  
"That would be nice."  
  
"I'll miss the sound of your voice. I was just thinking about that earlier this afternoon."  
  
"You can see me again tomorrow, you know."  
  
"It won't be the same."  
  
"I know. . .I'll miss you too, Tino."  
  
"........."  
  
"........."  
  
Awkward silence seemed to fill the air as though it were tangible. It was broken by a little giggle from Tish, until she let out full-blown laughter.  
  
"What's so funny?" Tino asked.  
  
"You're so shy!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" he replied in mock anger. "You're not so brave yourself!"  
  
"We've got to work on these awkward moments!" she smiled.  
  
"I think we'll figure it out."  
  
"So Tino?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't have all night! Are you going to kiss me goodbye or what?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.  
  
"To be honest, I've been a little. . .afraid. Like maybe I did it wrong last time, or it was too fast, or whatever. I wasn't sure whether it was, y'know, the right thing to do."  
  
"It is kind of complicated. But it's just. . .if we're really going to do this, I think we have to be willing to overcome those fears."  
  
"So how come I still have this crazy fear that the second I try to kiss you, you'll reject me or something. I know it doesn't make sense but it's all I can think about!"  
  
"I have a feeling it's normal."  
  
"Maybe I'll ask mom about it. If I can spit it out without getting all freaked out."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So. . ."  
  
"So. . ."  
  
"You're not going to, um, reject me, right?"  
  
Tish grinned at him. "I guess you won't know unless you come over here to find out."  
  
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"  
  
"If I did, there wouldn't be much point!"  
  
"I'll do my best." Tino began to draw in closer.  
  
"Do you trust me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good." This spoke, quickly, closing the rest of the distance and putting the boy in a lip lock. Tino felt dazed. It wasn't at all like he had thought it would be, radically different than he would have expected out of Tish. But he felt wonderful, from top to bottom. "Hmmmmm. . ." she let out a very satisfied sound as she slowly broke the kiss to rest her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes a little push helps. Feel a little less awkward now?" Actually, Tino didn't feel much of anything. He was still lost amidst the myriad of wonders Tish had just briefly laid on him.  
  
"Whoa." Was all he managed.  
  
"That's one way of putting it, I guess."  
  
"Do that again!"  
  
"Maybe next time." She grinned, running a finger down the length of his nose.  
  
"I never would've thought you would. . ."  
  
"Be so forward? I kind of surprised myself!"  
  
"You have to go, don't you?"  
  
"Uh-huh. You can see me tomorrow, though. Maybe call me tonight." She whispered.  
  
"That would be nice."  
  
"Funny, that's what I said! But if you want to have time to call me later, I have to go now..."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Tish felt full of life as she let go of the boy. "Hurry home, okay?" She tried to put a little edge of seductiveness in her voice.  
  
Tino laughed. "It sounds so weird when you say it like that!"  
  
"Just hurry home!" Tish laughed herself. Talk to you soon!"  
  
"I promise!" Tino called after her, and then she was gone. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Okay." He began. "Tell me you just saw that! Was that incredible or what? I can't believe that was Tish! It's gotta be something from one of those literary things she's always reading. It was the greatest!  
  
So, um, I guess you're wondering where we'll go from here. I'm not completely sure, but I think we're off to a good start. I was worried about that, I didn't want to lose her as a friend. But I think it was worth it. It's like we're so much more now. I never did get what the big deal about dating someone was until now. But take it from me...when you find someone that's easy to talk to as it is for me to talk to Tish, it's worth taking a chance. I'd, um, better go. I've got...dinner waiting for me. Yeah. Dinner. So, um, later days!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Here the first arc has officially drawn to a close. There's going to be plenty more going on as I start the second arc. Expect the story to get a little deeper. Some fun stuff I tend to do with Lor, besides the expected advancement of the new Tino/Tish relationship.   
  
Thanks once again to all my readers, this first part was a lot of fun to write, but the next arc is going to be even more exciting. Keep the reviews coming, everyone, and I'll keep the story coming.  
  
In the meantime, don't forget to check out my commentary for the first chapter of Awakenings, big fans of my work should pick up a lot of insights. Further installments of the commentary will feature interesting anecdotes about how I came up with some of the ideas that drifted into the story.   
  
Long live the weekend!  
  
  
Lord Malachite  
5/27/03  
5:38 PM, EST  
E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com  
AIM: Asukaphile26  
  
  



End file.
